After Mayor Bill de Blasio made good on his threat to deny public-school space to Gotham’s charters, Eva Moskowitz and her Success Academy Charter Schools will set up shop in the one place in New York where Moskowitz doesn’t need the mayor’s approval: she’s moving back in with her mom. And this fall, the Success Basement Academy will open for grades K–3.
The new charter will feature innovative instructional models. Students will rotate between the musty couch, unused elliptical, and ’98 iMac to get a balance of traditional lectures, gym, and technology. Ms. Moskowitz’s mother will provide a free lunch of PB&J (crusts off, please!) and Vitamin D supplements. She says her daughter will always be welcome, but she’s not going to “let Eva have the run of the place.” She went on to stress that this arrangement “is just until Eva gets back on her feet.” Hearing this, Eva rolled her eyes and said, “Jeez, Mom, I get it!”
Parents are already hailing the Moskowitz move as the next era of education choice: a mix of charter schooling and homeschooling. Says one excited parent, “Success Basement Academy strikes the perfect balance between homey comfort and high standards.” Charter authorizers are fielding dozens of applications for schools in living rooms, attics, and guest rooms at parents’ homes throughout New York.
Landlord-in-chief de Blasio expressed concern that Success Basement was getting a free ride at Ms. Moskowitz’s home. That basement space, he claimed earlier today, could be given to public-school students, who deserve the same opportunities and support as charter students. To which Mom Moskowitz replied, “Mr. Mayor, use your own damn basement.”
RELATED ARTICLE: Rezzi Dent, “New York City split over split-levels,” The Angry Park Slope Parent, April 1, 2014.